Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 5: Eight-year-old child saves the day

After Li Mu left Yanmen Pass, several soldiers guarding the pass had not seen each other. For some reason, someone came to the military tent to visit Li Mu. Na Lan Xue lied, saying, "The general has caught a cold and is afraid of being infected, so he cannot see guests!" Na Lan Xue had fought with Li Mu for many years, and the soldiers believed her words and hoped that Li Mu would get better as soon as possible.

One day, the guards on the watchtower outside the pass saw dust flying in the distance, and the yellow sand was like a remnant cloud rushing towards Yanmen Pass. The soldiers had received orders from Li Mu. If it were in the past, when there had not been any Hun invasion for ten years, how could they be so alert? The guards quickly lit a signal smoke.

In the military camp, Na Lanxue saw Li Zhan quietly looking out the window, secretly crying. When the tears dried, she asked, "Zhang'er, do you hate your father?"

Li Zhan didn't turn around and whispered, "I don't hate him, I just hope he hates me, so that when I leave, he won't be as sad as my mother."

When Lan Xue heard this, she hugged Li Zhan tightly and burst into tears, "Why is God so blind to take my Zhan away?"

Li Zhan slowly turned his head, wiped Lan Xue's tears, and said, "Mother, I am not dead yet, why do I always see you crying when I am alive?"

Na Lanxue forced a smile and said, "It's my fault, I won't do it again."

At this time, someone shouted outside the door: "Something bad is happening, the Huns are invading!" A moment later, someone came to report urgently, "General, the Huns are approaching, please make the decision!"

Li Mu had ordered that "no matter whether it was a big or small matter, no one was allowed to enter the military tent!" Therefore, the messenger could only report outside the door.

When Lan Xue heard this, she trembled all over and thought to herself, "The Xiongnu are really here. What should we do?" She tried to remain calm and said, "General, it is inconvenient for you to speak. Let me do it for you. Ask how many troops have come?"

"Looking at the battle formation, there are at least 30,000 cavalry, and the rest of the equipment and infantry are unknown!"

Nalan Xue's heart skipped a beat. "Although we can defend the gate with the help of the dangerous mountain, there are less than 400 guards. How can we resist 30,000 cavalry? Even if my husband is here, what can he do? It seems that Guo Kai really wants to take this opportunity to kill my husband."

The first thing Lan Xue thought of was to escape. "But if we escape and Yanmen Pass falls, my husband should be with Yanmen Pass. If he dies on the battlefield, how can he live in the future? Moreover, once it falls, the cavalry will go straight into Zhao State. Zhao State will fight against Qin with all its strength, and there will be no soldiers left in the country. That means the country will be destroyed and the family will be ruined!" "But if we don't escape, how long can we resist?" After a quick turn of thought, "Let's stay and create the illusion that my husband died in battle. It's just that he can't be Li Mu anymore. Even though you are reluctant, I can only do this. It's just that Zhan'er has suffered. God didn't even give him these few days." Looking at the weak Li Zhan, "No, I have to send him away!" Thinking of this, she said to the outside of the door, "The general knows. Tell the soldiers not to panic. He can't move easily, so I'll go and check it out. Pass the general's order to close the city gates and gather all the soldiers to stand by at the Yanmen Pass. I'll be there soon!"

"Order!"

Before the message went far, Lan Xue squatted down, tears welling up in her eyes, and supported Li Zhan and said, "Zhan'er, mother can't accompany you to finish the rest of your journey. You won't blame mother, right?"

Li Zhan's eyes were pure, and he said softly, "Mother, this disaster was caused by me, and I should take the blame for my father. If I don't leave, how long can I live if I leave? It's better to die with you, so that you won't be alone. I have a risky plan, you can try it. If it succeeds, everything will be solved. If it fails, it will be God's will to kill me."

Na Lan Xue said: "What other plan can we have now? Mother will order someone to take you away and send you to your father. He loves you too!" Then she was about to go out to find someone.

Li Zhan held Lan Xue's hand with his fair little hand and said, "Mother, how about you listen to my suggestion and then make a decision?"

Seeing that Wuzhan was unwilling to leave, Lan Xue asked anxiously, "What other plan do you have?"

"Order people to raise smoke from cooking fires in the city, the more the better, bring out all the war horses, open the city gates, and when the Xiongnu army arrives, repeatedly go out of the city gates, and then order people to sweep away the hoof prints of horses, and be careful when sweeping, so that it is difficult for people to see the hoof prints, but they can be found to be hoof prints. Throw all the rolling logs and stones from the city walls and pile them inside the fort, so that they cannot be seen from the city gates if you don't look carefully. After doing this, close the city gates, and when the Xiongnu army arrives at the gates, put out the smoke from cooking fires, and then After opening the gate, my mother and I were on the top of the city wall. My mother played the zither while I admired the 30,000 Xiongnu cavalrymen. This aroused the Xiongnu's suspicion and ordered all the soldiers to go up the mountain and tie them to the branches with ropes so that they could shake in large numbers and listen to my mother's music. When the sound became urgent, we would quickly kill a warhorse. When the soldiers heard the horse's neighing, they would pull the rope and shake the branches. If it worked, the Xiongnu could retreat. If it failed, we would jump off the city wall and not fall. My father declared, "Mom, go and do it quickly. It will be too late if you are late."

……

Although the Xiongnu cavalry came quickly, they slowed down when they were about to reach Yanmen Pass. The reason was that the terrain outside the pass was dangerous and the roads were narrow, so they feared ambushes. Furthermore, if they marched fast, if the horses in the front camp stumbled, the cavalry behind would be in trouble.

The Hun army arrived at the Yanmen Pass, and 30,000 cavalrymen rumbled out with great momentum, surrounding the Yanmen Pass layer by layer. The end of the formation was out of sight. Ladders, catapults, and battering rams were slowly pushed to the front of the formation. The whole scene was chilling and terrifying.

The Xiongnu Chanyu Touman was at the head of the formation, wearing feathers on his head, a tiger-skin coat, and horse-leather boots. He was over twenty years old, with a face full of flesh and sharp eyes. He was as strong as a cheetah and as fierce as a wolf. He rode a fierce chestnut warhorse and looked very majestic.

There were no guards on the city gate, but there was a beautiful Hu woman in purple Hu clothing, sitting leisurely on the city wall, playing the piano lightly. The melodious sound of the piano formed a contrast with the mighty momentum below the city. A child beside her was leaning against the wall, holding his chin with his hand, calmly looking at the thousands of troops below the city.

Touman raised his big hand, signaling not to act rashly. The city was suddenly quiet, and the sound of the zither became clearer. He stared at the woman on the top of the city wall and asked his subordinates, "Who is playing the zither?"

A long-faced military advisor beside him replied, "It is said that Li Mu has a wife who is good at playing the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and often accompanies her husband in battles. Judging from her appearance and age, she should be Lan Xue."

Touman said: "The child in front of me is so calm and not afraid of our Xiongnu cavalry. It seems that there must be something wrong with Yanmen Pass!"

The long-faced military advisor said, "Guo Kai said in his letter that there are less than 400 guards in the city. Li Mu is guarding here. This is a great opportunity to kill him!"

"Yes, but now there are more than less than 400 people, not even one is seen. Li Mu did not show up, but let his wife sit on the top of the city. Could it be that he wanted his wife and children to watch how he defeated the Khan? Guo Kai is a cunning man, we'd better be careful!"

"Great Khan, wise!"

At this time, the city gate was opened with a creaky sound. The Hun soldiers in the front row thought that the Zhao army was coming out of the city to fight, so they pulled the reins tightly, causing the horses to neigh and raise their front hooves. For a long time, no one rushed out of the city and the city was empty.

Touman did not dare to move forward. He looked suspiciously and carefully observed the city, not missing any details. Suddenly, he pointed to the ground under the city gate and asked, "Do you see anything strange on the ground?"

"It seems to have just been swept. Why was it swept?"

"Get off your horse and let this Khan take a close look!"

The long-faced military advisor dismounted, bent over and looked at the ground, looking for clues. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he pointed to a palm-sized shallow pit on the ground and said, "Khan, these are traces of horses!" He looked forward again and was shocked, "This, this, all of them, these are traces of tens of thousands of cavalry!" Touman smiled slightly and said, "Yes, wipe out the traces, open the city gates, and cover up the truth, so that this Khan will think that there is no one guarding Guanzhong." He snorted coldly, "I said that when I came here, I saw thousands of smoke from cooking in the city, but when I got to the city gates, the smoke went out. It was like luring you into a trap. This strategy must have come from Li Mu, what a brilliant plan!"

The Xiongnu military advisor quickly mounted his horse and said, "If it weren't for the Khan's keen observation, we would have almost fallen into his trap!"

Touman sneered, "Don't flatter me. Check it carefully for me. Don't miss any details. If they leave the city empty and we don't dare to go in, they will laugh their heads off!"

"Great Khan, what's that at the door?"

"As a military advisor, have you never even seen a rolling log or a rock? Why are you asking this Khan?"

"With so many logs and rocks, why didn't you move them to the city walls for defense instead of just piling them there?"

"Is there any need to ask? There's no room on the city wall. Can't we just pile them there for us to see?"

The military advisor sighed, "It seems that they have made sufficient preparations and are just waiting for us to go in!"

Touman said: "My father Khan once said that when marching and fighting, we cannot infer according to common sense. Often the big tricks are hidden in the reasonable and logical. How can the enemy be a fool to hand over the city gate? How can pie fall from the sky?"

At this time, the sound of the piano changed and the rhythm accelerated, as if thousands of troops were about to rush out in an instant, making people feel frightened and terrified. Suddenly, a warhorse neighed, and a warhorse rushed to the gate and fell to the ground and died. The front-line cavalry of the Xiongnu were startled and broke into a cold sweat. The long-faced man asked in panic, "What does this mean?"

Touman frowned, his eyes flashed fiercely, and he said, "I don't know!" "If I enter the pass, there is a possibility that the whole army will be wiped out. If I don't enter, no soldier will be injured, and there will be opportunities in the future. Zhao State has a tyrant king and treacherous ministers, and its fate is about to end. Li Mu's army is unpredictable. We are not in a hurry. It is not worth it to take risks for a villain like Guo Kai and ruin my father Khan's more than ten years of hard work!"

He urged his horse forward and shouted, "Listen, Li Mu, I respect you and cannot kill you, but there are naturally people who can kill you. After you die, I will lead my Xiongnu zealous men to crush the mountains and rivers of your Zhao State!"

At this time, the shadows of the trees on the mountain were shaking, and the leaves were rustling, as if thousands of soldiers were flying down. Touman shouted, "The front formation will become the rear formation, retreat quickly!"

The Hun army came in a mighty force, and in an instant, disappeared into the distance of the mountains, stirring up dust and yellow sand that filled the sky.

The army had already withdrawn. Na Lanxue heaved a sigh of relief and sat down on a stone bench. Her clothes were soaked with sweat. She smiled at Li Zhan and said, "My son is a genius. If your father knew that you had defeated the Xiongnu army with your wisdom this time, I wonder how happy he would be!"

Li Zhan turned his head slightly to look at his mother and said calmly: "This is all due to my father's reputation. It is still my father's credit. I am just 'the fox borrowing the tiger's power'. If it were not for my father, I would not care about such things."

The soldiers at Yanmen Pass raised their arms and wept, slaughtered sheep and drank to celebrate, and spread the word that "General Li was sick in the military tent, but he made plans and defeated 30,000 cavalry with wisdom, which made the Xiongnu terrified!"

The news was quickly carried to Handan. On one side, Sima Shang defeated the Qin army, and on the other side, Li Mu single-handedly resisted the Xiongnu cavalry. The people rushed to tell each other and praised the two great generals. Every household decorated their houses with lanterns and everyone was in high spirits.

……

In the Prime Minister's Mansion, on the big bed in the bedroom, Guo Kai was ravaging several yin-yang women. There were waves of wailing and begging for mercy. Guo Kai was laughing heartily. When he was in high spirits, a Taoist priest in a green robe slowly landed in the yard and sneered, "You promised to do something so badly, but you still have such interest in it? Aren't you afraid that I will go in and cut you off, so that you will regret it in the future!"

When Guo Kai heard Qing Yang's threat, his huge clone immediately wilted. He quickly dressed and walked out of the bedroom, coming to Qing Yang. "I have already done what the Taoist asked me to do. Why are you still blaming me like this?"

"You did it?" He stared at Guo Kai and asked again: "What did you do?"

"I have seized Li Mu's military token and sent him to Yanmen Pass alone. I have secretly communicated with the Xiongnu leader Touman and asked him to lead the troops to attack. I have used the Xiongnu to kill Li Mu!"

"By the Xiongnu? Haha, the Xiongnu army went there, but they ran away in disgrace!"

"Ah! How could this be?"

"I don't know the key point, I just know that you are right. Li Mu is alone in Yanmen, and the Xiongnu dare not enter. Before Li Mu even leaves the tent, he has scared away 30,000 Xiongnu cavalry!"

"How ridiculous! Are the Huns still the Huns? How can they be such cowards?"

"Also, according to our army's report, it was Li Mu who defeated our northern route, and he joined forces with Sima Shang to attack our southern route!"

"How is it possible? Could it be that he can clone himself?"

"How could the news reported by our army be false? Li Mu must have disobeyed the imperial order and led his troops to attack our Qin army!"

"Then who is at Yanmen Pass?"

"Before leaving the military camp, Li Mu must not be there. I suspect there is another expert there who scared off the Huns. I don't know how powerful this person is, but his grasp of the battle situation, the battlefield situation, the use of natural conditions, the control of people's hearts, and his strategy must be better than you and me!"

"How could there be such a person in my Zhao State?"

"Humph! You think about this all day long, how would you know? I will check. This man must be eliminated. He is more dangerous than Li Mu!"

(End of this chapter)